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Daily Mirror
11-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Married teacher, 53, had sex with teenage pupil in school cupboard
Philip Culling was allowed to quietly resign after having an affair with a student but thanks to a whistleblower, the disgraced teacher has been held to account years later A deputy headteacher who performed a sex act in a cupboard with a pupil at a top private school for girls has been banned from teaching for life. Married Philip Culling was a child protection officer at the Godolphin and Latymer School in west London when he targeted the 'vulnerable' pupil. A director of music at the school, the 53-year-old's attempts to groom the girl included taking her to a pub for his birthday and buying her flowers. They had oral sex in a cupboard and once kissed in a school lift. The actions of the father-of-three, who was supposed to be responsible for safeguarding children at the school, were said to be an 'open secret' and he was allowed to quietly resign in 2014 following an investigation into his conduct. The school informed the police of their findings but two years later, he was able to take up another job in education. Eight years after Culling's resignation, his previous actions were reported by a whistleblower and he was referred to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA). A subsequent tribunal heard the teacher and the pupil, known as Person B to preserve her anonymity, had begun exchanging emails from 2010, many of which he told her to delete. Culling also obtained Person B's personal phone number using school records and began texting her. A Valentine's card was shown to the panel signed 'Phil', which was addressed to "by far the most gorgeous and wonderful person in the entire world". By 2012 the teacher was telling the pupil he loved her and a year later, they had kissed for the first time. "From then on, they would kiss when they met up," the panel heard, including on one occasion in the school's lift. Person B told the panel she had (performed a sex act with the teacher) in a cupboard in his office early in the morning on several occasions. Culling called the girl the 'LOML', short for Love Of My Life. He also made her CDs and sent her flowers to wish her good luck for her A-level exams. On the night of her school leavers' party, he secretly met up with the pupil in a public park where he took her virginity, the panel heard. The pupil said that over the summer when nobody was home, the teacher came round once a week to have sex with her. After she had moved into a flat with somebody else "a lot of sexual acts including touching and oral sex happened in very public areas", the tribunal heard. Panel chair Jo Palmer-Tweed said the teacher had taken advantage "of the position of trust he was in towards a vulnerable child for his own gratification", adding: "Mr Culling exploited his position to advance a sexual relationship with a vulnerable pupil, and his misconduct was of the utmost seriousness." Person B, she said, had felt 'shame' as a result of the relationship which "tainted her memories of her school experience". Famous alumni at the £33,000-a-year school include celebrity chef Nigella Lawson and Hollywood actress Kate Beckinsale. The girl told the tribunal that Culling had asked her to lie about the relationship in 2014 amid fears he would lose his job and went onto urge her "not to engage" with the investigation in 2023. A spokesperson for the school said: "The TRA's report reveals a shocking and deeply disturbing pattern of past behaviour which we unequivocally condemn. We fully support the TRA's decision to bar Philip Culling from working in the teaching profession ever again. "He left Godolphin and Latymer 11 years ago after a comprehensive governor-led investigation into his conduct. The Hammersmith and Fulham LADO was fully aware and supported the school's actions at the time, and the police were also informed. "Information and evidence not previously available to the school have now come to light through the TRA process and we are reviewing this. Above all, we are devastated to learn that a former pupil suffered in this way."
The Sun
11-06-2025
- The Sun
Deputy head had sex with teen girl in cupboard at top school & visited her home for secret trysts while her mum was out
A MARRIED deputy headteacher had sex with a teen girl in a cupboard at a top school. Philip Culling targeted the "vulnerable" pupil while he was director of music at Godolphin and Latymer School in West London. 2 The married dad-of-three, who was in his 40s at the time, had a sexual relationship with the 19-year-old. This included intimate liaisons in his office and a sexual encounter in a cupboard that was interrupted by a dinner lady. His fling was reportedly an "open secret" among staff at the £33,000-a-year private school. He was allowed to quietly resign in 2014 without facing a disciplinary hearing, which allowed him to continue working in education. This included a stint at Holland Park Pre-Prep and Nursery in 2016, which was just one mile from his previous post. But in 2022 - eight years after his resignation - a whistleblower came forward, which triggered a formal probe. Culling has now been banned from teaching for life following a tribunal. The Teaching Regulation Agency found he had embarked on an "inappropriate sexual relationship with a vulnerable pupil". Panel chair Jo Palmer-Tweed said: "Mr Culling was a child protection officer at the school, and as such had appropriate training in safeguarding. "Despite this, he took advantage of the position of trust he was in towards a vulnerable child for his own gratification." The tribunal was told Culling and the girl met up secretly, kissed in parks and embraced in the school lift. They first had sex in a park following a leavers' reception in June 2013 and the pupil performed a sex act on him after the school's jazz night. After the teen left school in 2013, Culling would visit her home while her mum was out and the pair would have sex. The hearing was told: "Mr Culling came around, approximately once a week, and that they would talk and have sexual intercourse. "She stated that she moved into a flat in late August 2013, and that a lot of sexual acts including touching and oral sex happened in very public areas." Culling bought the girl, who was named only as Person B, gifts and referred to her as the "LOML" - love of my life - in a good luck message before her A-levels. He also signed a Valentine's card addressed to "by far the most gorgeous and wonderful person in the entire world". Culling took the girl to the pub for her birthday drink during school hours and received oral sex from her in the cupboard on a number of occasions. Goldolphin leaders did not contact police or teaching regulators because they believed the relationship had only started when the teenager left the school. The girl told the tribunal that Culling had "asked her lie" about the relationship in 2014 amid fears he would lose his job. The deputy head coached her on how to make the fling sound as "recent as it could be", it was said. He even messaged her in 2023 after the probe was launched in a bid to convince her not to help the investigation. Culling told her: "I'm hoping you'll agree with me that it is best not to engage with it. You can't be made to." He has now been banned from teaching indefinitely, with no review period, after being found him guilty of unacceptable professional conduct. The watchdog said: "The panel heard evidence of the long-term impact on Person B including the shame she feels as a result of their relationship and of having been coerced to lie to protect him. "It has tainted her memories of her school experience, and she referred to having 'struggled to see herself in a good light'. "Mr Culling's conduct led to Person B being exposed to, or influenced by, his behaviour in a harmful way." Godolphin and Latymer School, based in Hammersmith, has around 800 female pupils between the ages of 11 and 18. Famous alumni include celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, Hollywood actress Kate Beckinsale, singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor and TV presenter Davina McCall. A spokesperson said: "he TRA's report reveals a shocking and deeply disturbing pattern of past behaviour which we unequivocally condemn. "We fully support the TRA's decision to bar Philip Culling from working in the teaching profession ever again. "He left Godolphin and Latymer 11 years ago after a comprehensive governor-led investigation into his conduct. "The Hammersmith and Fulham LADO was fully aware and supported the school's actions at the time, and the police were also informed. Information and evidence not previously available to the school have now come to light through the TRA process and we are reviewing this. "Above all, we are devastated to learn that a former pupil suffered in this way." 2
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Unmasked: The Deputy Head teacher who started sexual relationship with pupil in his office but escaped justice for a decade
A disgraced deputy headteacher who groomed a sixth-form pupil and had sexual liaisons with her in his office was able to dodge justice for a decade - after bosses at the prestigious girls' school failed to alert watchdogs. Philip Culling, 52, was director of music at Godolphin and Latymer School in west London - where former pupils include Nigella Lawson, Kate Beckinsale and Davina McCall - when he began an affair with teenager. Despite being married with three children and responsible for pupil safeguarding, Culling engaged in a series of sexual encounters with the student - including intimate liaisons in his office and a cupboard tryst that was interrupted by a dinner lady. His fling with the 19-year-old was said at the time to have been an 'open secret' among staff at the elite private school, where yearly sixth-form fees now cost more than £30,000. However, Culling was allowed to quietly resign in 2014 without facing a disciplinary hearing, thereby escaping any kind of sanction and enabling him to continue working in education. He resurfaced in the classroom just two years later, landing a role at the exclusive Holland Park Pre-Prep and Nursery in 2016. It was not until June 2022 - eight years after his resignation - that a whistleblower came forward, triggering a formal investigation into the teacher's past. Now, more than a decade after the affair, Culling has finally been banned from the teaching profession for life. In a damning ruling, the Teaching Regulation Agency said Culling had embarked on an 'inappropriate sexual relationship with a vulnerable pupil' and was 'in pursuit of sexual gratification'. Panel chair Jo Palmer-Tweed said: 'Mr Culling was a child protection officer at the school, and as such had appropriate training in safeguarding. 'Despite this, he took advantage of the position of trust he was in towards a vulnerable child for his own gratification.' Culling had sexual encounters with the pupil in his office and a cupboard tryst when a member of catering staff unwittingly walked in and 'had not been aware that they were there'. The panel heard how the besotted pupil performed a sexual act on Culling after the school's annual jazz night, where she had sung both solo and with the swing band. The pair met secretly, kissed in parks, embraced in the school lift and had sex for the first time on the night of the school's leavers' reception in June 2013, the watchdog was told. After the teenager left the private school in June 2013, Culling visited her home for sex while her mother was out. The hearing was told: 'Mr Culling came around, approximately once a week, and that they would talk and have sexual intercourse. She stated that she moved into a flat in late August 2013, and that a lot of sexual acts including touching and oral sex happened in very public areas.' The hearing was told how Culling bought the pupil gifts, referred to her as 'the LOML' - love of my life - and signed a Valentine's card addressed to 'by far the most gorgeous and wonderful person in the entire world'. The hearing was told how Culling bought the pupil gifts, referred to her as 'the LOML' - love of my life - and signed a Valentine's card addressed to 'by far the most gorgeous and wonderful person in the entire world'. Pictured together in 2014 In one message, he admitted: 'I haven't stopped TOY [thinking of you] for approximately two years.' An earlier email referenced her being '52 hours away from being a legal adult'. Goldolphin school leaders did not contact police or teaching regulators because they believed the relationship had only commenced when the teenager left the school. The pupil told the teaching misconduct hearing that Culling had 'asked her to lie' about the relationship in 2014 fearing he would lose 'his job and livelihood'. The panel heard: 'She stated that Mr Culling told her what to say, to make it sound as if the relationship was as recent as it could be.' The watchdog said: 'The panel heard evidence of the long-term impact on [the pupil] including the shame she feels as a result of their relationship and of having been coerced to lie to protect him. 'It has tainted her memories of her school experience, and she referred to having 'struggled to see herself in a good light'. 'Mr Culling's conduct led to [the pupil] being exposed to, or influenced by, his behaviour in a harmful way.' Culling, whose then wife Rebecca also worked at the school, denied having feelings for [the pupil] - known as Person B in the report - until she had left. But the panel found: 'There was a gradual progression from exchanging emails of a personal nature, establishing contact outside of school hours and via personal mobile phones, sharing their appreciation for music and humour, then a tentative exploration of Mr Culling's feelings for Person B before physical contact was established in the form of hugs, kisses and ultimately sexual contact.' The panel ruled Culling was motivated by a desire for 'sexual gratification'. In 2023, as disciplinary proceedings loomed, Culling contacted the pupil on Whatsapp in a bid to convince her not to aid the investigation, telling her: 'I'm hoping you'll agree with me that it is best not to engage with it. You can't be made to.' Mail Online revealed in 2014 how Culling was head of music and spent many hours helping the pupil with her goal of a career in the industry. In now-deleted videos posted on YouTube, the teenager is seen singing pop songs while Culling accompanies her on the piano. In the caption to one video, she revealed she 'wrote this song about loving someone who you shouldn't and just wanting things to be simpler'. In another, she sang: 'I thought I had been in love, but that was until I met you.' The TRA has now banned Culling from teaching indefinitely, with no review period. He was not present or represented at the hearing in Coventry, West Midlands. The panel found him guilty of unacceptable professional conduct, ruled he had brought the profession into disrepute and had displayed no remorse. It concluded: 'Mr Culling sought to conceal the extent of his relationship with Person B during the School's investigation and coerced Person B into lying for him. 'This continued by Mr Culling seeking to coerce Person B into not giving evidence in these proceedings, with the objective of frustrating the process.' Signing off on the ban on behalf of education secretary Bridget Phillipson, civil servant Marc Cavey concluded: 'The findings of misconduct are particularly serious as they include a teacher engaging in a sexual relationship with a vulnerable pupil as well as behaviour that was coercive, dishonest and lacked integrity.' Godolphin and Latymer School, based in Hammersmith, has around 800 female pupils between the ages of 11 and 18.
Daily Mirror
05-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
'Sexually-motivated' teacher told school pupil 'you're mine little duck'
Charlotte Doman, 35, worked as a history teacher at William Edwards School in Essex when she started to contact a pupil outside of school on social media and sent "inappropriate messages", according to a teaching panel A "sexually motivated" teacher who confessed her love to a pupil and told them "you're mine, little duck" has been banned from teaching. Charlotte Doman, 35, worked as a history teacher at William Edwards School in Essex when she started to contact the boy - referred to as Pupil A - outside of school on social media and sent "inappropriate messages", according to a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel. Ms Doman, then 32, sent dozens of messages to Pupil A between April and May 2023. In one, she said: "You're not even legal or an adult or anything. Like, am I taking advantage of you? Some days it feels like you're taking advantage of me lol." She provided her mobile number to the pupil and told him she loved him on Instagram, writing: "YOU have all the control in this relationship" and also said: "Love that you're still ignoring me. I'm gonna go get f***** up". Ms Doman also told Pupil A details about her sexual relationships, the panel found, saying in an Instagram message: "One night I ended up with three different guys". The 34-year-old woman admitted she encouraged Pupil A to drink alcohol and smoke cannabis with her, and said in a statement: "I am unsure why any of this occurred. I certainly don't behave like this myself. I drink alcohol less than once a month and never to excess, and I've never taken drugs." The teacher also sent photographs of herself, including her tattoos. Ms Domain admitted to calling the pupil her "little duck", writing: "You're mine, little duck." She later recognised this was "inappropriate. " The former teacher even confessed her "love" to the student and told them to "get use to it". She wrote: 'I'm going to keep telling you I love you even though you don't like it because you need to know people love you. I don't care if you never love me or say it because love isn't meant to be selfish. It's not how it works. So get used to it.' The teaching panel concluded "the findings of misconduct are serious as they include a teacher engaging in sexually motivated and inappropriate communications with a pupil." The report read: "The panel recognised that there was no prompting or encouragement by Pupil A for Miss Doman to disclose details in respect of her sexual experiences or relationship. The panel did not see any other reason as to why Miss Doman discussed her past sexual experiences, problems in her relationship and a graphic sexual extract from a book other than if it were in pursuit of sexual gratification or in pursuit of a future sexual relationship. The panel therefore determined that Miss Doman's conduct was sexually motivated". A parent of a pupil raised concerns with the school on May 24, 2023, in response to her alleged conduct at the time, prompting them to make a referral to the Local Authority Designated Officer on the same day. After the school commenced an investigation, Ms Doman was suspended from her duties and resigned from her position at the school on June 20, 2023. Simon Bell, Headteacher of William Edwards School, said they were "appalled" by the actions of the former staff member. He confirmed the school took "robust" actions to address the incident. Mr Bell told The Mirror: 'We are appalled and deeply disappointed by the actions of this former staff member, who was immediately suspended and went through a disciplinary process which resulted in her leaving our employment shortly afterwards'. 'The safeguarding of our students is always our top priority, and we took immediate action when concerns were raised, including referrals to a number of external agencies including the Local Authority Safeguarding Team, Essex Police, the Disclosure and Barring Service and the Teacher Regulation Agency.' 'We are reassured that our robust safeguarding processes allowed us to act swiftly to address the concerns and welcome the Teacher Regulation Agency's decision to ban them from teaching in the future.' In a written conclusion published on Wednesday, Marc Cavey, on behalf of the Secretary of State, decided Ms Doman should be banned from teaching indefinitely, subject to a five-year review period.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
History teacher encouraged teenage boy to smoke cannabis with her
A history teacher encouraged a teenage boy to smoke cannabis and drink alcohol with her, a panel has found. Charlotte Doman, then 32, was a history teacher at William Edwards School, a secondary in Grays, Essex, when her inappropriate contact with the boy began. In messages the teacher sent to the pupil, referred to as Pupil A by a Teaching Regulation Agency panel, she called him 'little duck' and told him she loved him, the hearing was told. She did not attend her misconduct hearing, but in written statements said the 'little duck' nickname was 'not romantic' and said that she was 'letting (Pupil A) know that someone cared about his existence' in telling him she loved him. Ms Doman, now 34, sent dozens of messages to Pupil A between April and May 2023, including one where she said: 'You're not even legal or an adult or anything. Like, am I taking advantage of you? Some days it feels like you're taking advantage of me lol.' In messages seen by the panel, she told him 'YOU have all the control in this relationship' and also said 'Love that you're still ignoring me. I'm gonna go get f----- up'. She also told Pupil A details about her sexual relationships, the panel found, saying in an Instagram message: 'One night I ended up with three different guys.' The 34-year-old admitted she encouraged Pupil A to drink alcohol and smoke cannabis with her, and said in a statement: 'I am unsure why any of this occurred. I certainly don't behave like this myself. I drink alcohol less than once a month and never to excess, and I've never taken drugs.' She made comments about the pupil's appearance and messaged him saying: 'I literally go get waxed every eight weeks for no one to appreciate it', the hearing was told. The panel heard Ms Doman encouraged Pupil A and his friends to 'pull sickies' on a day she was off school, and at least once invited Pupil A to spend time alone with her. 'Are you and the boys going to be okay if I have to be off sick? You could always pull sickies and we'll all just game at mine all day,' she said in an Instagram message to Pupil A. The teacher admitted she had sent Pupil A messages outside of school hours and sometimes in the early hours of the morning, and acknowledged she told the pupil to 'remove all trace' of her from his phone on May 22 that year. Ms Doman denied that her conduct was sexually motivated and said she saw Pupil A as 'like her child', but the panel ruled on the contrary. The panel said it did not see any other reason as to why Ms Doman discussed her past sexual experiences, problems in her relationship and a graphic sexual extract from a book 'other than if it were in pursuit of sexual gratification or in pursuit of a future sexual relationship'. 'The context of the majority of messages... did not imply that Ms Doman just simply saw Pupil A like her child,' the panel said. The panel ruled Ms Doman's behaviour had a 'seriously damaging' impact on Pupil A, his parents, the school and its wider community, and that her conduct 'had the potential to influence Pupil A in a harmful way'. Ms Doman was facing 'difficulties' in her personal life at the time, the hearing was told, but the panel ruled that she 'did not show sufficient insight in respect of the impact her conduct had on others'. In a written conclusion published on Wednesday, Marc Cavey, on behalf of the Secretary of State, decided Ms Doman should be banned from teaching indefinitely, subject to a five-year review period. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
